Testimonials

Debbie, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of Playgroup Queensland for the two workshops you conducted – Conquer your Email Overload and Managing Customer Relationships.

The knowledge you imparted on our team has defined a change in behaviour that is benefiting the organisation beyond expectation. Our staff have been motivated and inspired by the simple yet effective techniques and are sharing their new found knowledge amongst colleagues. Your personal business insight is refreshing, passionate and inspiring and is evident in every interaction. I look forward to our continued professional partnership. Thanks.

Suzie Cockerill, Approved Provider, Green Eggs Early Childhood Centre

We have implemented so many of your ideas since your wonderful session a year ago. The most notable being the use of google drive as our staff intranet.

Amanda Stanes: Associate Director Donor Stewardship: The University of Auckland Business School

‘You were fantastic. The workshop was pitched at just the right level and it is pleasing to know we are doing some things right in the social media space. I have learnt a lot of really useful tips and ‘how-to’s’ which is exactly what I hoped to do.’

Jacqui Johnston, Operations Manager, College Sport

‘I spend my life forwarding your emails or copying and pasting info from them on to people I didn’t realise you could track it. They have such useful timesaving info in them and I always make time to read them. Hopefully some of them sign up to your newsletter also. I am still on a mission to find someone to sponsor you so that you can present to our schools as I think the information they would gain would be invaluable.’

Merle R Boniface; Director of Business and Planning; DIocesan School for Girls

Thank you for your superb presentation. Feedback from the delegates was extremely positive. We all felt that we had learned a lot and were particularly impressed by the way in which you had customized the material and content.

I have thoroughly enjoyed our ongoing dialogue throughout the lead up to the conference and have appreciated your proactive approach with the finer details such as conference venue, delegates’ expectations and content.

Angela Owen

Thankyou for an inspirational discussion on the weekend at the Child Care QLD Conference. I have taken away not only the practical tasks but it has shaped my mind for the future. A huge thank you

Kerrie Wise CEM; Principal; Destination Conference & Incentive

It is always wonderful to work with you and I am always so confident that when I recommend you to a client that you will always deliver. Every time you present at one of our client events your session is the most rewarding. No matter how far technology comes there are always people that still need to learn from the grass roots and this is exactly what you do by engaging the audience no matter what demographic they are. So thank you from DCI.

Judy Wolff , Marathon Travel Specialist, Travel Managers

I am loving my very organised, well filed, easy to read contacts in outlook. I just plain never used it at all before as was such a mess and all over the place. Had no idea of course that you could do all that stuff you have taught us. Really look forward to your lessons in my inbox. Hope they keep on coming for a long time yet, so much to learn. You are so right when you say this is the key to efficiency.

Tamara Rebourgeon; Travel Broker; NZ Travel Brokers

I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! For the conference and Debbie’s amazing (well to me at least) revelations about Outlook and Database I am well on the way to have a very much improved and organised outlook Inbox…colours, folders, rules and all those amazing little nifty tricks I never learned and knew about are being implemented as I type this!

I really want to tell you how excited and happy I am about my “new” found knowledge and skills…

I always dreaded my INBOX and the disorganisation in and of it but now…watch out! Also the much dreaded DATABASE and all my contacts are already being worked on and finished by the end of the week (Goal setting is my other new Adventure!)

Nick Tilly, Director, Harvey World Travel Richmond

I thought your workshop was fantastic… best 3 hour workshop I’ve ever attended! Already putting into practise some of what I learned!

I’ve sent the General Manager of Harvey World Travel NZ a recommendation that he looks at getting you in as a speaker at our annual conference!

I’ve also put a recommendation for your workshops on the closed Facebook page that I’m a member of … a group of Harvey World Travel franchisees set up a small networking group – and over the past year I’ve shared a number of your NZ Herald articles with the group.

John Erkkila; CEO; NZ Home Loans

“Your presentation provided fantastic insights for our consultants as to how to be more efficient and more effective in the workplace as well as highlighted the necessity for self promotion in the marketplace. Your message was perfectly targeted to the audience and of great benefit to our business.”

Ann Pioro; Ann.E.Pioro Insurance Education Consultancy

“I enjoyed your presentation at the National Insurance Brokers Association of Australia Convention. Of all the things that I learnt this time, yours will be the most useful.”

Russell Good; Managing Director; Goodlife Ins.Brokers

“I would be a millionaire if I heard you years ago”.

Darryl Hawke; Managing Director; Rivers Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd

“Your presentation was the best 2½ hours of training I have done in 20 years. I could have added a week to my life alone over this period had I just known one of your tips!”

Daniel Corbett, NSW State Manager, Anne Street Partners

Your presentation at the FPA Conference was one of my favourites. I learnt a lot. I couldn’t stop raving about your presentation to my colleagues.

Narelle Jensen; AFG; Member Support Manager

Debbie Mayo-Smith was the keynote speaker at our professional development day on 1st November 2013. Debbie is an engaging and entertaining speaker who kept the attention of our 200+ delegates for over an hour … not always easy to do! Debbie put a lot of time and effort into tailoring her presentation, researching our organisation’s resources, and ensuring that the content was both in line with our message as well as what would be of benefit to our delegates in their day to day businesses. Debbie is down to earth and practical, and demonstrates a thorough knowledge of her subject. As a result the delegates leave with ideas and tips that they can apply straight away … and Debbie follows that up with ongoing support which is of great value. This is the second time we have had Debbie speak at one of our conferences and both times were a great success and I would highly recommend Debbie to other organisations.

In February we were excited to bring Debbie Mayo-Smith to Taranaki for our annual BDO Business Expo. I had been fortunate to see Debbie Speak some 10 years prior and she still was as bubbly and passionate about sharing her wisdom and helping others.

Debbie was so easy to work with. We exchanged a few emails and telephone calls about what we were trying to achieve, the theme of our expo, and topics that other speakers were presenting. She was able to put together and present two seminars and a key note presentation that not only achieved our outcome of motivating business owners and managers to think about how they could increase productivity and collaborate with technology, but also followed up with tips and resources to continue that journey after the event.

Debbie has the ability to talk real language (the accent is just the icing on the cake!). She gets her point across using stories involving her friends and family. The personal touch connects the audience and practical examples keep the audience engaged and thinking about how they can apply or adapt to their own situation.

Debbie went over and above by making herself available during the day in between seminars and at our networking event. It is not every day that our local businesses get the chance to chat with international speakers & Debbie was only too happy to fly our “BDO” flag. I think it is really important that any speaker does this to give credibility in the fact that they take a real interest in their audience and whatever event they are aligning themselves with – particularly in the regional centres like ours.

We surveyed our Expo attendees and they only had positive feedback, this is what they had to say…“…Loved it; Very good; Excellent & informative; Awesome, Brilliant, Needed to be longer; Very interesting & what’s more, useful down to earth advice; Very informative seminar; Look forward to putting into practice the technology tips I have learnt; Enjoyed Debbie’s vibrance…”.

BDO was delighted to have Debbie present at our Expo, she certainly got us thinking about what we could be doing differently in our business. I personally have put some of these tips and tricks into practise and have shared them with our team.

Jim Harris, BrokerWeb Management Limited

My team of salespeople and account managers can sometimes be pretty hard to satisfy but they have all said that your motivational presentation on making them go from being good to being Spectacular has given them something to work on. I have noticed since that some of the team have changed their work habits (as I have also) and in some way I think all of them have changed something. It was extremely kind of you to offer your assistance and I know I took some great ideas out of that and the team appreciated your no holds barred approach to critiquing their presentation skills. I have already used some of the tips that you gave in that session to great effect.

I met Debbie at a conference recently where she was touted as ‘the time saving guru’ – and I must admit you tend to view these sorts of tag lines with a pinch of salt and very much tongue in cheek. Well what a pleasing and quite amazing surprise to be part of an enthusiastic and energetic session!! Debbie brings passion and movement to an otherwise drab subject that she is clearly an expert in. In an era where everything is moving ever so fast (and only getting faster), and when gizmos and gadgets are becoming “man’s best friend” Debbie is a breath of fresh air. No more stodgy, boring presentations or webinars – Debbie is queen. If you haven’t seen/heard her – she is a must see on your calendar. If you haven’t booked her – find the time/money and book a session with her and your organisation. Quite simply – she IS the time saving guru!!

Thank you so much for the time you were able to spend with us at Hallam Jones Insurance and Financial Advisers. We are still all talking about all we learned and are putting in place to make our working and personal lives more efficient time wise.

For me personally, I get invited to many conferences and training sessions each year – from now looking for the Debbie Mayo-Smith session will be key to my attendance.